40 Years

This week Kim and I are celebrating out fortieth anniversary; both as a married couple and as Pastors of Abundant Life Tabernacle. There has been much reminiscing as we prepare to celebrate with our church at a banquet in our honor.

My mind also has gone back to the thirty-eight years of mission ministry. Wow, what a thrilling journey of World Evangelism it has been! Here are a few highlights.

Hearing Bill Burkett for the first time in 1977 as he told of his work behind the Iron Curtain.

My first mission trip in 1979 when L.L. Collins, Terry Phillips and I travelled to Romania and Poland utilizing connections provided by Burkett.

Hosting K.A. Smith at Abundant Life Tabernacle as one of our first missionaries I could bring before the congregation. He consistently urged me to come to Central America.

The many work trips I arranged for men in my church to go and assist Smith in his work to build a Bible School at Los Alamos, Guatemala.

The doors that opened with cabinet ministers within the government of Guatemala that culminated in an invitation to meet personally with the President of Guatemala.

The war years of 1980’s in Central America. Those trips, some of which were fraught with danger in the guerrilla affected areas of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

The large groups of young people I was blessed to guide on their first ever mission trips.

The blessing of working beside the great jungle missionary, Charles Craft. Those trips in the 4X4 F250 Ford pickup on those muddy jungle trails were great: now years later…

The 10 years of preaching Bible School graduations in Honduras.

The founding of Abundant Life Missions in 2005.

The churches, parsonages, orphanage and youth camp we have been blessed to build.